Posts Tagged: SAMMIES2015

When Crying at Work is a Good Thing

Often called the Oscars for government employees, the Sammies represent the best and brightest government employees. And man, do they deserve some recognition. The Sammies honorees break down barriers, overcome huge challenges and get results. Whether they’re defending the homeland, protecting the environment, ensuring public safety, making scientific and medical discoveries, or responding to natural… Read more »

Stopping Tragedy in Its Tracks

On April 5, 2010, disaster struck Montcoal, West Virginia. Late in the afternoon, an explosion rocked the small town’s Upper Big Branch coal mine. After four days of attempted rescue, none of the 29 miners survived the blast. It was the worst mining disaster the U.S. had seen in over four decades. As an administratorRead… Read more »

When Heroes Come Home

Each year, more than 200,000 military service members return from active duty tours abroad back to civilian life. These typically young individuals often have little workforce or educational experience outside of the military, rendering them unprepared to integrate into a civilian occupation after coming home. According to a RAND report, unemployment among young veterans inRead… Read more »

Competitive Resilience at the FTA

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is turning storms into ingenuity and inspiration through its grant programs. This spark of ingenuity came from a place of hardship for Americans. We all remember the devastation that followed Superstorm Sandy. The 2012 hurricane triggered one of the worst public transportation disasters in US history, flooding and damaging railRead… Read more »

Listen, Learn, then Lead

When he first joined the Navy 23 years ago, Kevin Hannes was taught a simple motto: listen, learn, and then lead. After retiring from the Navy, Hannes still felt the call to serve the American people. He soon joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where he now serves as the Federal Coordinating Officer in Texas.Read… Read more »

Saving Our Seas

It’s no secret that the ocean is a vast space. Comprising over 90 percent of the Earth’s habitable space, it seems impossible that humans could have a serious impact on this massive environment teeming with life. However, scientific research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proving that we can and are havingRead… Read more »

Sustaining the Global Community

Each day, most of us will turn on our stove at some point or another to cook food. What we normally wouldn’t think about is how advanced this appliance is compared to others around the world. Whether our stoves are gas or electric, most cooking appliances in the western world are far more efficient andRead… Read more »

Mapping Molecules to Fight Cancer

In 2015, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be over 1.6 million new cancer diagnoses. While individual prospects of survival have drastically improved over the past decade, there’s still much more for doctors to learn about the disease. Generalized treatments for a variety of cancers have had mild success, but scientists and doctorsRead… Read more »

Searching for the Cure

Every year, over 300,000 children across the globe are diagnosed with sickle cell disease. From sub-Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean, to the Middle East, to India, this genetically inherited disorder afflicts millions of people. Sickle cell disease deprives red blood cells of the essential hemoglobin protein, causing cells to change into a sickle shape afterRead… Read more »